Until the 1920’s, long hair for women had been popular for thousands of years. Extensive locks were thought of as a woman’s crowning glory, but with the Women’s Suffrage Movement came the move toward fashionable comfort as well as a sense of personal freedom. The bob became a popular hairstyle for young and old women, but was viewed as a shocking and unfeminine fad by much of society. Religious arguments began surrounding the bob haircut with opponents who spouted Biblical quotes that stated women should not cut their hair. However, the bob was chic and modern so women went in droves to barber shops to chop their crowning glory. Barbers had far more experience than hairdressers with short hairstyles and as a result made fortunes off the simple haircut. The bob was given many names to help separate the various styles such as the Chesterfield, the Orchid, the Gigolo, the Coconut, and the Charleston. Permanent waves as well as permanent hair coloring also became popular additions to the bob hairstyle.
Men during the post-war years and into the 1920’s began to move away from the ultra-cropped military haircuts into a different style, but facial hair was still a rarity. The hair was left long on top and brushed straight back with a part either on the left side or down the center of the hair. A patent leather sheen was essential for stylish hair and the look could be achieved with a variety of hair products. Wavy hair for men, called the Marcel Wave, was also stylish and could easily be created with a curling iron.